Why I waited to watch 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood'
I'm not the first to see Quentin Tarantino鈥檚 love letter to an idealized Hollywood. Why I've learned to wait before watching.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and director Quentin Tarantino pose for a photo during a news conference for the film 'Once Upon a Time In Hollywood' in Tokyo, Japan August 26, 2019.
REUTERS/Christopher Gallagher
Dear Reader,
Last night, I finally saw Quentin Tarantino鈥檚 鈥淥nce Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.鈥� The box-office smash hit is nearing the end of its big-screen run and so the cinema offered only one showtime each night this week.
I am often the last person to see things. That鈥檚 by design.
I credit television for turning me into a late adopter of all things pop聽culture. Too often, TV shows started out promisingly and then lost their way as it became apparent that the writers were hurriedly laying pieces of track just ahead of the onrushing locomotive. (Dear makers of 鈥淟ost,鈥� I鈥檇 like to get those 121 hours of my life back 鈥� and also get an explanation of who built the magic lighthouse on that infernal island.)
So I adopted the following maxim: I only have time for great. That entailed changing my TV-watching habits. I only started watching outstanding television shows such as 鈥淭he Wire,鈥� 鈥淏reaking Bad,鈥� 鈥淔riday Night Lights,鈥� and 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� many seasons into their runs after hearing consistent buzz about them.聽
In the broadband era of seemingly infinite entertainment options, each week brings an overwhelming spigot spray of new movies, TV series, albums, and books. I keep abreast of what鈥檚 coming聽out, but given that it鈥檚 impossible for anyone to ingest everything, I often let others winnow through the bad, the OK, and the merely good on my behalf. I鈥檒l happily use the wisdom of the crowds to belatedly discover what鈥檚 really worth investing precious time in.
Mr. Tarantino鈥檚 love letter to an idealized Hollywood of a bygone era lives up to the many recommendations I鈥檇 heard. (Read the Monitor鈥檚 review of it聽.) Given that the director may finally win an Oscar for best picture, I won鈥檛 be late in tuning in to the next Academy Awards.
Stephen Humphries,听肠耻濒迟耻谤别听飞谤颈迟别谤听
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